Oyster Creek making repairs to reactor nozzle

Nov. 16, 2012

Written by

Bob Vosseller

@rvosseller

LACEY — Investigators for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission still are conducting an inspection at the Oyster Creek Generating Station, including problems that could form into cracks on a nozzle leading into the nuclear power plant’s reactor.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Thursday that numerous plant components and systems are being inspected during the 43-year-old plant’s refueling and maintenance outage, a routine review that can only be conducted when the reactor is shut down.

Sheehan said two “indications” were identified Nov. 7 on a nozzle attached to the reactor, specifically control rod drive mechanisms, which are used to move rods in and out of the reactor to control the splitting of nuclear fuel and power levels.

“An indication is a surface or slightly subsurface flaw that, left unaddressed, could eventually develop into a crack,” he said.

Sheehan said there was no relation between the discovery of the flaws and superstorm Sandy.

Richard Webster, an attorney for Public Justice who is representing a coalition of environmental groups opposed to the Oyster Creek plant’s operation, had described the problem as “deep cracks” and said corrosion issues within the reactor have existed for years.

To correct the problem, Exelon, the company that owns Oyster Creek, intends to “weld metal on top of the entire section of piping,” Sheehan said.

“Our inspections of the repair work are ongoing. We would want to ensure the repairs are consistent with American Society of Mechanical Engineers code and that the company has also checked other similar components for indications/cracks,” he said.

Sheehan said Exelon will have to complete the repairs before they restart the plant.